The Richland County Executive and Finance Standing Committee voted Wednesday to send an interim three‑month memorandum of agreement on ambulance services to the full county board, creating time and a committee to negotiate cost‑sharing and other options with municipalities.

County staff said the interim MOA will allow municipalities — including the city of Richland Center and townships — to explore alternative funding models or governance arrangements while services continue. Committee members agreed the MOA should be edited to avoid language that would treat county EMS as automatically ending on April 1, 2026, if another agreement is reached.

Why it matters: The county’s ambulance service is running on a “bare bones” budget, county staff told the committee, and absorbing certain calls to county facilities has increased costs. The committee instructed staff to convene a transition committee immediately (to be confirmed by the county board) so stakeholders can meet and develop options before the end of March 2026.

Details of the interim agreement and committee:
- The committee moved the interim memorandum of agreement to the full county board for consideration, with the understanding municipalities will be invited to negotiate cost‑sharing and other arrangements. Committee members said they want the review committee to begin meeting as soon as possible; staff said they would attempt to hold a first meeting before the end of the month.
- County staff said the committee to be formed will be confirmed by the county board and will include municipal representatives; staff named Ashley (city administrator) as a municipal contact already engaged in preliminary discussions.

Billing and call volume:
- County staff reported an average of 90.75 calls per year to county‑owned facilities (Pine Valley, the courthouse, the community services building, the highway shop, the fairgrounds). If the county were to absorb those calls, staff estimated an additional cost of about $20,000 annually.
- Committee members said historically those facility calls had been absorbed by the county and were not billed to municipalities; that practice is now part of the discussion as municipalities review whether to share costs or fund services differently.

Staffing and local impact:
- Barb, ambulance service director, said the ambulance operation currently employs seven full‑time staff, five part‑time staff and additional on‑call personnel. Committee members asked that staffing outcomes be part of planning if service arrangements change.

EMS operations, equipment and handbook:
- The committee approved updates to the EMS handbook and addendum to align EMS personnel policies with countywide policies and asked that the handbook changes be backdated to July 1 to match county practice.
- The committee approved using Federal Assistance Program (FAP) grant funds (about $45,000 available) to purchase a Lifetek 15 cardiac monitor and accessories at an estimated cost of $44,000.

Facility repairs and procurement:
- The ambulance‑service building has an active leak. Only one responsive bid arrived for a proposed membrane (Conklin full fabric rubber system) with a 20‑year materials warranty; prior gable‑roof estimates discussed during the meeting had ranged widely (figures cited in the discussion referenced earlier estimates from roughly $74,000 to $210,000 for gable conversions). Committee members asked staff to seek additional local bidders and to report back; no contract or purchase order was approved for roof work at this meeting.
- Staff advised that any roof work would be paid from county capital funds rather than ambulance operating funds.

Next steps and uncertainties:
- The interim MOA was forwarded to the full county board with the committee’s request that staff remove language that would treat the county service as automatically ending on a specific date if another agreement is negotiated.
- Committee members asked staff to compile billing records and cost details for review by the transition committee. Several supervisors said they want a clear set of benchmarks and a brisk meeting schedule to avoid a repeat of last year’s compressed timeline.

Quotes and attribution (selected):
- County staff member Trish said, “I am more than willing to sit down, more than willing to give this 3‑month extension, so that we can try to come up with another option that’s out there.”
- Ambulance service director Barb said the county had been absorbing calls to county facilities and noted the service’s staffing levels when asked about personnel impacts.

Ending: The full county board will consider the interim memorandum of agreement; in the meantime, staff will organize the transition committee and return to the Executive and Finance Committee with additional bids for the ambulance building roof, detailed billing records, and proposals for how facility calls might be funded going forward.